"Having been told that photography would be strictly monitored by the official guides, I was pleasantly surprised by the freedom we were given to shoot pretty much anything we wanted," Wainwright told Business Insider. "The only restrictions were on building sites — they like everything to look finished it's photographed — as well as anything connected to the military, and people at work."

Wainwright said it took months of negotiation before North Korea allowed him to join the tour because "journalists aren't given the same freedom as tourists," he said.

"I have never been anywhere where a national ideology is so totally embodied in the architectural fabric of the city," Wainwright said. "To see the urban fabric, from the layout of streets to the specific design of interiors, expressing the values and ambitions of such an ideologically-driven regime was a fascinating thing to behold."

"The two things that most struck me about North Korea interiors were the sense of symmetry and the recurring pastel color palettes," Wainwright said.

National Drama Theatre, Pyongyang.

Wainwright said the interiors themselves were a big enough inspiration for him to want to partake in this series. "From the Soviet-era buildings from the 1950s and 1960s, when North Korea was heavily reliant on the USSR, to the more brightly colored recent renovations masterminded by the current leader, Kim Jong-Un," he said.

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, Pyongyang.

"Organized around long axial boulevards, the city is punctuated with gargantuan monuments and memorials, with statues and mosaics of the leaders everywhere you look," Wainwright said. "As well as the pink and red 'Kimjongilia' and 'Kimilsungia' flowers, which represent the leaders, Kim Jong-il and Kim Il Sung."

Chongnyon Youth Hotel, Pyongyang.

Pyongyang Diplomatic Club.

Pyongyang Diplomatic Club.

"Symmetry is one of the guiding principles of Juche architecture, espoused by Kim Jong-il in his 1991 treatise, On Architecture," Wainwright explained. "It is usually used as a means of emphasizing the importance of the statues and portraits of the leaders, with architectural elements designed to exaggerate the perspective and increase the sense of awe."